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4 Ways Estate Planning Allows You To Take Control By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi March 30, 2023 There is a day for everything, including March 30th , which celebrates taking control of one's own life.  While this day was originally linked to the assassination attempt on President Regan's life ( Secretary of State Alexander Haig said "I am in control here"), it has evolved into a day for celebrating methods one can employ to take control of his/her own life.  From using calendar planners to decluttering to installing organizational systems, updating or creating an estate plan is yet another way for a person to take control over his or her own life.  Here are 4 ways estate planning asserts control: When -- a well drafted power of attorney will state when the document will take effect.  Sometimes the document becomes effective as soon as it is signed by the person creating the form, while other times it may only take effect once the person creating the form has later be...

5 Things Dog Owners Should Consider When Doing An Estate Plan By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi March 23, 2023  Prepare yourself for a cuteness overload on your social media accounts today; it's National Puppy Day !  Established to encourage people to adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue dog, National Puppy Day is the perfect time to review 5 things dog owners should consider when creating or updating an estate plan.  According to the ASPCA , approximately 3.1 million dogs a year are surrendered to animal shelters.  Of those surrenders, two of the top reasons cited are lifestyle change (such as a chronic illness) or a move to a home that does not allow for a dog (for example, moving to assisted living).  With a small amount of planning in advance you may be able to provide continuity of care for your beloved companion if you were to become ill or pass away. Wallet Alert Card -- create a simple card to keep in your wallet that would alert EMTs or other emergency pers...

Estate Planning and the Recipes We Love Written by Melinda Gustafson Gervasi March 14, 2023 March 14th marks Pi Day (3.14159265359)  Celebrated each March 14th, the day allows math fans to challenge one another on who can receite Pi the longest, play math games, and of course, eat pie.  My house is home to three math enthusiats, so it stands out in my life.  Today also seemed like a logical day to share with you the wisdom bestowed in the Scholastic book, Pie, by Sarah Weeks .   Like many children's books, Pie begins with a child experiencing the death of a loved one.  In this case 10 year old Alice suffers from the sudden death of her beloved Aunt Polly, the Queen of Pie in Ipswitch, Pennsylvania where she operated the bakery PIE.  Having won 13 consecutive Blueberry Awards (a national pie contest), Aunt Polly was quite famous for her wonderful pies.  Wisely, Aunt Polly also embraced her own mortality and completed a will in which she left her ...

And the Oscar Goes To......The Descendants By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi March 10, 2023 Nominated for five Oscars during the 84th Academy Awards , The Descendants won for best-adapted screenplay, thrusting a movie about estate planning into the mainstream.  Based on the 2007 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings the story follows Hawaiian attorney Matthew King and his daughters' journey following the traumatic brain-injury suffered by his wife in a boating accident.  While the majority of the movie explores the emotions and workings of end-of-life decisions, removing medical support, and processing grief, there is a sub-plot; one involving a land trust. King, and a host of his cousins, are descendants of Hawaiian Roylaty .  He is the sole trustee of a land trust holding hunderds of untouched land on Kauai.  Under the Rule Against Purpetuities , the trust must end in 7 years.  Rather than have the trust end and the land distributed in shares to an assortment of descendants...